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Grand National 2026: horse racing updates from Aintree – live | Grand National
Key events
Greg Wood
1.55pm MERSEY NOVICE HURDLE preview
The performance of Kaka’s Cousin in the preceding handicap will be an interesting pointer to the chance of Olly Murphy’s Scorpio Rising, who won the Sandown handicap in which Kaka’s Cousin finished fourth. The six-year-old was steered around the festival and has more than earned this tilt at a Grade One by stringing together four straight wins in progressively stronger company this season. Gordon Elliott is going for a five-timer in this race with Ballyfad but he did not cut much ice in the equivalent race at Cheltenham, where Dan Skelton’s Bossman Jack, who is vying for favouritism with Ballyfad, looked unlucky not to finish closer when four lengths behind the winner in sixth.
SELECTION: SCORPIO RISING
1.20pm HANDICAP HURDLE preview
A big field for this handicap hurdle for stayers but the market is dominated by a trio of lightly-raced novices in Kaka’s Cousin, Hold The Serve and Fortune Timmy. All three have plenty of scope to progress beyond their current handicap marks so it is probably a question of which one will find the most improvement, and Hold The Serve, with just four races in the book, could be the one, as he has run out a comfortable winner of his last three starts. Kaka’s Cousin, meanwhile, was better than the bare result when fourth in a highly competitive handicap at Sandown last time, while Fortune Timmy is a handicap debutant after finishing in midfield in the Grade one Turners Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham last month.
SELECTION: HOLD THE SERVE
Greg Wood
Greg Wood
Going to start running through our race previews now …
12.45pm MAGHULL NOVICE CHASE preview
An early start for the action at Aintree with a Grade One novice chase that got rather lost last year, when it was off at 5.00 race, an hour after the National. The three principals in the betting were all steered around Cheltenham last month and so arrive here fresh, and the standout is Willie Mullins’s Salvator Mundi, thanks to his winning form in the Grade One novice over this trip at this meeting 12 months ago. His main market rival is Gordon Elliott’s mare Kala Conti, second in the Grade One Scilly Isles Novice Chase at Sandown in February, while Mighty Bandit is stepping up from handicap company after reeling off three straight wins.
SELECTION: SALVATOR MUNDI
There is also one change of jockey from those printed in your morning papers. Kielan Woods has not recovered from his fall earlier in the week and that means he will miss the ride on Marble Sands in the Grand National, and will be replaced by Tom Bellamy.
We have a new National favourite and it’s the mare Panic Attack. No mare has won the National since Nickel’s Coin in 1951, when only three finished! Panic Attack is a slick jumper of a fence and has been in terrific form this season. Here’s the early betting for the market leaders:
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Panic Attack – 7/1
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Jagwar – 8/1
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I Am Maximus – 9/1
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Grangeclare West 9/1
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Johnnywho – 11/1
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Montys Star – 12/1
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Oscars Brother – 14/1
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Iroko – 16/1
Aintree non-runners
These won’t be turning up in theire respective races so cross them off your lists. Nick Rocket, last year’s winner of the Grand National, has the sniffles!
1.55pm Turners Mersey Novice Hurdle
3 Came From Nowhere (Unsuitable Going)
2.30pm William Hill Handicap Chase
4 Imperial Saint (got into the Grand National as a reserve)
5 Amirite (got into the Randox Grand National as a reserve)
8 Myretown (Vet’s Certificate, abscess)
14 Stolen Silver (Bruised foot))
3.05pm JET2 Liverpool Hurdle
2 Happy Jacky (Transport issues)
4.00pm Grand National Handicap Chase
2 Nick Rockett (Coughing)
7 Spillane’s Tower (Horse not qualified)
35 Pied Piper (Lame)
Good morning. There was rain around this morning at Aintree when the BBC Breakfast weatherman was giving his forecast but it’s cleared up and the ground still has some juice in it. They always water the track well with safety in mind.
Grand National Course: Good to Soft
Mildmay Course (Chase & Hurdle): Good to Soft, Good in places
Aintree tell us “there was 2mm of rain overnight. The showers should clear by mid-morning for a partly sunny day but here is the slight chance of a further shower mid-afternoon.”
Preamble
Greg Wood
Welcome to Aintree on Grand National morning, where a sellout crowd is gathering to witness one of the most historic and compelling spectacles in sport as 34 runners and riders line up for the big race at 4pm BST.
An early smattering of rain is clearing away, there’s a brighter forecast for later in the afternoon, and the betting market for the National is already heating up with an early gamble on Jagwar, one of just three seven-year-olds in the field. Panic Attack, the only mare in the field, is popular too, even though the last female (horse) to win was way back in 1951, and has just taken over at the top of the market at 8-1, while Jagwar is top-priced at 17-2 and yesterday’s favourite, I Am Maximus, has drifted out to 9-1 in a place.
Other names that leap out of the list for a variety of reasons are Oscars Brother, from the two-horse yard of Connor King in Ireland; Haiti Couleurs, bidding to be a first Welsh-trained winner since 1905, who is ridden by Sean Bowen and trained by his former babysitter, Rebecca Curtis; and Mr Vango, trained by Sara Bradstock, whose father, the hugely popular broadcaster and journalist Lord John Oaksey, finished second aboard Carrickbeg way back in 1963.
Every punter will have their own way of picking a winner, of course, and Gorgeous Tom may well be popular later with the nation’s Thomases and their kith and kin, and I reckon he might well be in with a decent each-way chance. Picks for the National itself and the ITV races in the run-up to the big one are here, a full guide to all of the runners is here, and you can, as always, follow all the news, views and market moves here on the blog as the countdown begins to the biggest race of the year.
A man, 37, is arrested in relation to the incident and remains in custody, police say.
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Key events
League One: It’s all going on at Home Park, Jayden Wareham had restored Exeter’s lead in the 87th minute but just 180 sconds later Malachi Boateng bundled in from close range from a scrappy set-pice. Lovely stuff.
Championship: Coventry are still struggling to find a breakthrough against Sheffield Wednesday. A couple of big chances in succession as Josh Eccles heads narrowly wide and Ellis Simms could not convert as he came on to a low cross swept in from the right.
League Two: Louis Watson has pulled one back for Crawley a Bristol Rovers to make it 2-1. The Sussex side have around 10 minutes to find an equaliser.
League Two: It did not take long for Bromley to take advantage of MK Dons going down to 10 men. Marcus Ifil has pulled one back and halved Dons’ lead, it’s 2-1 in MK.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth (Scott 75)
The Cherries are back in front with 15 minutes to go at the Emirates. Barry Glendenning has full coverage of that one here:
League One: Promoted Lincoln were 2-0 up against Leyton Orient but Dominic Ballard has pulled one back for the Os.
Elsewhere, Lorent Tolaj has equalised for Plymouth in their local derby clash with Exeter.
League Two: MK Dons are 2-0 up against Bromley, a scoreline that would deny the Ravens promotions, but the league leaders have a lifeline with Jon Mellish earning a red card for a second bookable offence.
I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Tom Bassam while I grab a bite to eat.
Premier League: Raya playing with fire, taking a risk passing out to Zubimendi with Bournemouth’s strikers nearly on top of him. Not the first time he has done that today, either. Howls from the Emirates crowd. The home side have only had one shot on target so far – the penalty converted by Gyokeres.
A nervy final 25 minutes ahead for the league leaders, looking for a winner.
National League: York are a goal to the good against Tamworth and set to stay top of the table as things stand. Automatic promotion rivals Rochdale play Wealdstone this evening. Only the champion goes up, it is likely to go all the way to the wire.
Boreham Wood’s Matt Rush has scored a couple within five minutes for them against Hartlepool. They are certain to be in the play-offs.
Premier League: Arteta rings in the changes. Eze, Trossard and Dowman are off the bench and on the pitch. Cometh the hour, cometh the man child? The highly-tipped teenager could make his most important impact to date.
Meanwhile, 55 minutes in at top versus bottom in the Championship, Coventry are yet to break the deadlock against Sheffield Wednesday, though they nearly sprung the offside trap moments ago for a simple finish.
League One: Deadlock broken in the Devon derby as Reece Cole puts Exeter ahead away to playoff-pursuing Plymouth. That goal could be crucial in keeping them up. Their fans are unsurprisingly going loco, bragging rights potentially in the offing too.
At the other end, Cardiff go a goal up at Bolton with a header from Osmari Kellyman, taking them ten points clear in second place as things stand.
Two minutes later, Chris Willock adds a second!
Premier League: The players are back out at the Emirates. Big half ahead for Mikel Arteta’s side, who flattered to deceive for much of that first half. Going a goal down seemed to spur them into action, mind.
No changes from either manager at half-time.
Some half-time reading for you: Barney Ronay’s bid to turn £10 into £1,000 at the bookies
“I knew Arsenal were going to lose because I stare at sport all the time and I can see when something is crap. I’m the crap whisperer.
They duly lost. And this was my high point. Ten pounds had become £120. Yes, somehow only that tiny amount after all this winning and omniscience. But still a vast return in five days! I’ve got the key. I’ve got the secret. I am invincible. I … cannot lose.”
Lunchtime half-time scores
How things stand in the 12.30pm kick-offs.
Premier League
Championship
League One
League Two
Championship: George Hirst doubles Ipswich’s lead at Carrow Road in first-half stoppage time. Firmly in control of the East Anglia derby, they have two more games in hand over promotion rivals Middlesbrough and Millwall. They will be favourites to go up to the Premier League – if they can hang on.
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth (Gyökeres 35 pen)
Arsenal are level: Viktor Gyökeres scores his 18th goal of the season, lashing the ball beyond Petrovic. He went the right way, but there was too much pace and precision on it.
However, the decision to award the penalty will be dissected at half-time and beyond. The ball was hit against Ryan Christie’s out-stretched hand at point-blank range and Michael Oliver awarded it. Many referees would not have given that one.
Premier League: Arsenal are playing like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Their opponents are more fluid and pressing them back into their own half.
At Coventry, the Championship leaders nearly fashion a messy opening from a corner but the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper falls on the ball.
League Two: MK Dons have made it 2-0 against leaders Bromley with a Ben Wiles goal. The south Londoners may have to wait another match or two to confirm their promotion.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Bournemouth (Kroupi Jr 17)
The leaders are behind at the Emirates. Arsenal’s defence was caught asleep and failed to play Truffert offside as he surged down the left, his cross pinged off Saliba’s boot and sat up perfectly for Eli Junior Kroupi to put away at the back post.
Championship: Ipswich go ahead at Norwich, thanks to a Jaden Philogene penalty, sending the goalie the wrong way.
Pretty stonewall, as Ben Slimane nearly inadvertently takes off Taylor’s head with a wild swing at the ball, going for a clearance from a free kick.
The table as things stand:
Championship: Dear me, bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday (one league win all season) nearly take a shock lead at Coventry through an absolute howler.
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth slipped as he kicked the ball and got the ball caught under his feet. Jerry Yates nearly picked his pocket for the most straightforward goal, but somehow Rushworth recovered and got away with it.
League Two: Second-placed MK Dons are a goal up inside 34 seconds. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing charges through and slips the ball low into the net. No time wasted, just what Paul Warne would have wanted.
Their opponents, league leaders Bromley have a slim chance of securing promotion if results go their ways, but they are already on the back foot here.
Lunchtime games kick off
The whistle blows for the lunchtime games. Plenty of important matches, we’ll keep the focus on Arsenal, Coventry, the East Anglian and Devon derbies and the League Two table-top clash.
Whether at the match or watching on the telly, feel free to send me your thoughts, hopes or fears here.
How De Zerbi is aiming to keep Spurs up
After West Ham’s thumping of Wolves last night, the heat has been turned up even higher on Spurs, in the relegation zone for the first time since August 2015. How will they stay in the Premier League, then? The new manager has a cunning plan.
“I want to keep the ball,” De Zerbi said. “I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou because, in my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play. With Pedro Porro, with [Destiny] Udogie, with [Micky] van de Ven, with [Cristian] Romero, and I would like to see it again.”
Some Spurs fans may have their heads in their hands reading that, but they and you can read more about his masterplan here:
Expat Coventry fan Dan from Perth (Australia, not Scotland) writes in: “Have just been reflecting on the 2016/17 Checkatrade final when, all alone at a casino’s sports bar, with a moon-bound spaceship’s range of screens showing all manner of local footy varietals to no one in particular, I still had to beg the bemused manager (who knew not of this competition or my team) to allocate the tiniest box in the corner so I could experience Wembley and the first real bright spot in my Cov supporting adult life (being 19 when we were relegated to the championship and then on down that slippery slide).
“Fast forward and I’ll be in front of another small screen in my study streaming the match with a significant plus one – my eight-year-old who, while not actually yet a fan (and who may, in fact, not be paying attention at all while making loom bracelets) has been here for the entire journey back.
“Can’t believe we’re finally maybe going back up; fingers crossed today is the day.”
Today’s key fixtures
My pick of the matches this fine Saturday afternoon (3pm BST unless stated). Plenty of lunchtime action and some matches pitting promotion and relegation rivals against one another in League Two:
Premier League
Championship
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Coventry City (1st) v Sheffield Wednesday (24th) – 12.30pm
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Norwich City (9th) v Ipswich Town (3rd) – 12.30pm
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Middlesbrough (4th) v Portsmouth (21st)
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Southampton (6th) v Derby (8th)
League One
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Plymouth Argyle (7th) v Exeter City (21st) – 12.30pm
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Cardiff City (2nd) v Bolton Wanderers (4th) – 12.30pm
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Bradford City (3rd) v Stevenage (6th)
League Two
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MK Dons (2nd) v Bromley (1st) – 12.30pm
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Cambridge United (3rd) v Notts County (4th)
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Newport County (22nd) v Harrogate Town (24th)
Scottish Premiership
Arsenal v Bournemouth team news
Seven games left for Arsenal, who are nine points up on Manchester City with a game in hand.
Piece of cake, right? Ha ha ha. More like seven chances to slip up, especially if their recent domestic form is anything to go by. After Carabao Cup final defeat and a surprise loss to Southampton in the FA Cup, Mikel Arteta will be keen to canter away to their first title in 22 years with minimal fuss and put the lid on talk of bottling it.
Three changes from the XI which beat Sporting, with Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Martinelli coming in. Barry Glendenning has all the latest updates for us here.
Taking three points against Bournemouth will be no easy feat. They are unbeaten in 11 matches and only the top three Premier League sides have lost fewer matches than Andoni Iraola’s team. However, hampered by being draw specialists – fifteen in the Prem this year! – they are only 13th in the table.
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Dowman, Salmon
Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Truffert, Senesi, Scott, Christie, Rayan, Tavernier, Kroupi Jr, Evanilson
Subs: Mandas, Adams, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Unal, Toth
Preamble
To paraphrase the Titanic old lady, it feels like it’s been 84 years but after a 19-day intermission, the Premier League was back with a bang last night.
We’ll have all the reaction to West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolves, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone and putting Tottenham Hotspur into the bottom three. Your move, Roberto De Zerbi.
At the other end of the table, Arsenal are at home to Bournemouth in today’s first kick-off (12.30pm BST), while Liverpool host Fulham this evening, last season’s winners seeking to get over their Champions League stinker and qualify for the continent’s premier club competition again.
In the Championship, leaders Coventry City could effectively ensure promotion today if they beat abject Sheffield Wednesday, in a lunchtime kick-off, and rivals Middlesbrough drop points at home to Portsmouth. After 25 years away from the top division, it is surely only a matter of time for Frank Lampard’s side, given their vastly superior goal difference.
The other choice fixture is the East Anglian derby, as Norwich City could dent Ipswich’s promotion push. Spicy.
In League One, second-placed Cardiff City could take a big step towards promotion if they can see off Bolton Wanderers. And in League Two, first plays second, with Bromley v MK Dons. The south Londoners (just about, even if it feels like Kent) could secure promotion today, and just need a win.
At the top of the Scottish Premiership, it’s all to play for. Hearts face Motherwell and if they lose, Celtic would be on the same number of points if they beat St Mirren.
As ever, please do get in touch with comments, tangents and matchday musings.
Finbar Sullivan, 21, who has been described by his father as “exceptional”, was stabbed on Tuesday.
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